gay marriage position

[Mark C. Nemeskal]

Can someone please give me Scott's position on gay marriage? A gay friend of mine just sent me an e-mail pleading with me and the other recipients NOT to vote for Scott Brown due to his "anti gay-marriage" position. I am planning on voting for Scott either way, but would like to find something to rebut this e-mail.

Anyone????

[wilsond]

I just spoke with my two best friends (who are gay and married in Mass.). We typically don't talk about politics because we disagree on the issues - they are the best, most awesome people I know, it's just that we have different views on how to handle domestic/national/international issues.

My jaw almost dropped - I did not bring it up but they had to tell me they are voting for Scott Brown. They do not like Martha Coakely. One friend is a tireless advocate in the court system for domestic issues such as child abuse, domestic violence, etc. I can't put words in her mouth but she feels Martha has not done enough in that area as AG, and I have to agree. It's also about the Healthcare bill too. This is the first time that they will vote for a republican.

I think it's wrong to assume that the only thing the LGBT community care about when going into the voting booth is gay marriage. And I if I ever thought that then I apologize :)

Meanwhile Obama's promise to end the don't ask don't tell policy remains broken and because of that an estimated 300 service members have been discharged since the Obama Administration took office in January. That is wrong!

On a personal note, if I was informed that Scott did not believe in individual equal rights for / and condemning discrimination against the LGBT community, I wouldn't vote for him because it then becomes an issue of character and ethics. Which is exactly the reason why I won't vote for Martha Coakley - we see more and more of her poor judgment on the issues as each day goes by ;) I mean no disrespect to anyone - even Martha - I just wanted to express that :)

[Dave DeGraw]

Mark: As a strong backer of Brown from Louisiana, I respectfully disagree with your views:

a) If a member of your family or your lover was being held hostage and terrorists were threatening to behead them, I bet YOU would suddenly embrace "enhanced interrogation techniques." Water-boarding can NOT kill anyone!

b) 65% of the country is NOT in favor of Obamacare!!! We want reform; we want people in need to get healthcare. We do NOT want this secret monstrous radical take-over of 1/6 of the US economy! Tear it up & start over.

c) Brown has said while he personally opposes gay marriage, it should be left up to the individual states.

d) Man-made global warming is a complete hoax designed only to enrich the conspirators! (Witness Al Gore now conveniently worth close to 1 billion dollars) The Earth has cooled since 2000! Remember a little thing called the Ice Age? Warming & cooling 'cycles' occur in nature. Deal with it!
Mark C. Nemeskal said:

I've actually met both Scott Brown and Martha Coakley. They're both nice, as you would expect. Brown was indeed very cordial, even knowing that I didn't agree with him on politics.

He may well be personally decent: A JAG, National Guardsman and good father. But his views are neither decent nor prudent. To wit:

a.) He has defended torture, using the Orwellian code words "enhanced interrogation techniques." This is not decent.
b.) He has a tortured explanation for why he would not support covering 30 million new people with health care. I submit that this displays a lack of compassion.
c.) His view on gay marriage is frankly cowardly. That's not decent. Supporting Tom's and others' right to marry is decent.

d.) He denies global warming is real. That is very definitely not prudent.

Down the line, on almost every issue, he's a continuation of the last 8 years of rule under President Bush. I respectfully submit that that is definitely not prudent.

Thanks for reading this far, if you have ...

Well.... anybody care to comment? I am getting hammered by my gay friends.

[Gregory E. Holt]

Mark C. Nemeskal said:

Hi Elaine,

I already checked out Scott's listing on the marriage section of his page.
Below is one of several e-mail responses from a gay, musician friend from years ago.
I'd be curious to hear a response from someone even though I will likely stay pro-Brown.
Thanks for your time.


, and respectfully disagree with Mark. Brown is pro-torture, anti-gay rights, and has openly questioned Coakley's patriotism on national TV -- not behavior that I consider at all "overwhelmingly decent." He has no ideas other than those that have already failed us in the past. He would be a disaster in the US Senate.

[Gregory E. Holt]

Mark C. Nemeskal said:

Hi Elaine,

I already checked out Scott's listing on the marriage section of his page.
Below is one of several e-mail responses from a gay, musician friend from years ago.
I'd be curious to hear a response from someone even though I will likely stay pro-Brown.
Thanks for your time.


, and respectfully disagree with Mark. Brown is pro-torture, anti-gay rights, and has openly questioned Coakley's patriotism on national TV -- not behavior that I consider at all "overwhelmingly decent." He has no ideas other than those that have already failed us in the past. He would be a disaster in the US Senate.

[Gregory E. Holt]

Mark C. Nemeskal said:

Hi Elaine,

I already checked out Scott's listing on the marriage section of his page.
Below is one of several e-mail responses from a gay, musician friend from years ago.
I'd be curious to hear a response from someone even though I will likely stay pro-Brown.
Thanks for your time.


, and respectfully disagree with Mark. Brown is pro-torture, anti-gay rights, and has openly questioned Coakley's patriotism on national TV -- not behavior that I consider at all "overwhelmingly decent." He has no ideas other than those that have already failed us in the past. He would be a disaster in the US Senate.

[Gregory E. Holt]

Mark C. Nemeskal said:

Hi Elaine,
I already checked out Scott's listing on the marriage section of his page. Below is one of several e-mail responses from a gay, musician friend from years ago. I'd be curious to hear a response from someone even though I will likely stay pro-Brown.
Thanks for your time.


, and respectfully disagree with Mark. Brown is pro-torture, anti-gay rights, and has openly questioned Coakley's patriotism on national TV -- not behavior that I consider at all "overwhelmingly decent." He has no ideas other than those that have already failed us in the past. He would be a disaster in the US Senate.

I guess you have not seen Coakly's attack Ads,I'll take the patriotism of someone who served in the military before a career politician

[Chris Parker]

Very Well Said!!

Jay said:

Frankly, regardless of his public position there's not much being done by either party regarding the issue. Generally speaking gay rights is an issue Dems like to flag around verbally for milage with the gay vote but, in fact, there's little in terms of positive substance given. Tell your friend he might consider these points; Obama's official position is that marriage exists between a man and a woman and he is on record saying so. After a showing of gay demonstraters showed up in DC he indicated he would be making changes they'd like to see but not until after the elections, wink, wink. Well, I think he's getting to be pretty famous for lip service with little delivery. Let's not forget Clinton's big consolation prize to gays in the form of "don't ask don't tell" which caused more trouble than if he'd done nothing. Essentially, it's liberal judges legislating from the bench that have made the most progress. Sometimes one has to consider the issues beyond the one that is most important to them and look at the totality of the package. Gay marriage is an important issue to many, but the issues of personal autonomy, economy, and national security are more important at this particular point in time. JMO not meant to be confontational.

[Mark C. Nemeskal]

Someone keeps re-posting some of the e-mail snippets from two days ago that I copied and pasted on here and that seems to be making Jane and "my dear Elaine" a bit whacko.

I will be voting for Scott on Tuesday and even got to speak to him on Thursday via the Dennis and Callahan show on WEEI.

What started out as an honest and innocent attempt to gather some info to rebut my colleagues, turned into a rather ridiculous firefight with two cowardly women on this forum. It just goes to show, once agin, the sometimes damaging power of the internet.

Here's to hoping that Scott wins in a landslide and then we can stop being inundated with all of the ads on TV and radio. At this point they have reached the nauseating level.

I accept Jane and "my dear Elaine's" apologies in advance. NOW I'm done!

Jane-Calvert Winkler-Kimble said:

Is Nemeskal still on here? Sure he has freedom of speech. I thought he meant it when he said, "I'm done with you and the Brown Brigade."

If you want to spend your time discussing a no-win issue with a troll, by all means , go ahead. This is still pretty much a free country and the First Amendment applies to all regardless of sexual orientation.

The rest of us are back to work to help elect Scott Brown. I think I've already made my point that Girard (sp?) has guts and that I have gay friends of whom I think the world.

Back to work. Focus, focus, focus, phone calls and blogs/posts.

A troll keeps coming back and back and back, so we really can't believe this one when he said, "I'm done with you and the Brown Brigade."

I'm now leaving to go back to work for Scott Brown over issues like terrorism, quit the overspending of OUR money, and sink Obamacide.

Have any of seniors you know who have run into the new rules like a consulting doctor will only be paid for an admission instead of a consult? I've read parts of both monstrosities of the House and Senate. National healthcare is a wonderful vision. I'm for it, but not at this cost, under these rules. After the rest of the Mayo Clinics withdraw, how many doctors are going to retire early?

How many current services are going to quit being offered? because Medicare won't pay for them without too much hassle or pay a pittance? You think women on Medicare should only be given mammograms and Pap smears once every five years? Vote for Coakley by all means.

That means leave here and go there and find out her views and blog on her site. Scott's views are posted on his campaign site, take them or leave them. He says what he means and means what he says. While a financial conservative, he is more moderate and leans towards personal freedoms. In some instances like the defense of marriage act, Obama agrees with Scott.

Surely, if you want to discuss issues that are important to you as gay folk, of course, go ahead. The serious posters can do this without being entangled with a troll.

Remember that Congress has exempted themselves, their wives and their children from this health care bill. My only question is "Why?"

It was Is Nemeskal who wrote, "I'm done with you and the Brown Brigade."

[Ellen Bullock]

From what I've read he feels that states rights are important, not something on a national scale, thats not an extreme view. He seems to be a social moderate but he's FISCALLY conservative, which, from the state of the economy is the most important part of his candidacy, plus he's actually meeting with the people and NOT those who can afford to pony up $10,000 a plate in Washington, DC. Last time I checked they don't pay state income tax or the rediculous property taxes we pay in MA!!! In the immortal words of Michele McPhee (and I think I'm paraphrasing, "hold onto your wallets" Vote Scott Brown on Tuesday!!

[Don McDougall]

Your gay friends should fully support this guy, while his personal views are for traditional marraige, he also CLEARLY STATES that the individual States should be the engine of change. Many local gays and lesbians are in fact liberal first and gay 2nd. They use the specious claims of persicution to promote a LIBERAL agenda. They use being gay as a tool to promote their views. As one activist told me. "I am a democrat 1st, and always will be. Being gay is one of the tool I use to promote the party and support Barak Obama.."

p.s. If you have to defend your position to your friend, and they do not respect you for who you are may I suggest you find a better class of friend.

[Gerard Hall]

Just for the record my friends have agreed to disagree. We are all entitled to our opinion. I like to check the Brigade before heading to the phones so let's not waste any more time on this. This is what the democrats would love, for us to be wasting Valuable Time on an issue that is not important right now. This gay man is heading back to the volunteer phones and hopes everyone else will do the same' GO GO GO SCOTT BROWN

Don McDougall said:

Your gay friends should fully support this guy, while his personal views are for traditional marraige, he also CLEARLY STATES that the individual States should be the engine of change. Many local gays and lesbians are in fact liberal first and gay 2nd. They use the specious claims of persicution to promote a LIBERAL agenda. They use being gay as a tool to promote their views. As one activist told me. "I am a democrat 1st, and always will be. Being gay is one of the tool I use to promote the party and support Barak Obama.."

p.s. If you have to defend your position to your friend, and they do not respect you for who you are may I suggest you find a better class of friend.

[LolaInMA]

I don;t know what Scott Brown's position is on gay marriage, but please convince your friends that that is a ridiculous and self centered reason NOT to vote for him. If Coakley gets in ... there will be so much more for them to worry about as to the quality of their lives then whether or not they or someone they know can get a same sex marriage in Massachusetts!!! Please try to make sense of this to them. We need every vote we can get. For good reasons. For the safety of our country. For protecting our rights and liberties. For upholding the constitution. To assure your friends and all those they love of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Please do your best to turn them around!